Weight loss occurs when a slimmer is eating in a calorie deficit, meaning less calories are being consumed than burnt. There are also a number of diets on the market, including intermittent fasting, keto and paleo. Dr Michael Mosley, creator of the Fast 800 lifestyle plan, has shared his top five, easy to follow tips to help slimmers stay on track.
The expert explained that losing weight tends to be easier when surrounded by supportive friends and family.
He said: “There is a huge amount of research and evidence supporting the idea that if you want to lose weight, that it is really, really important that you have the support of your friends, your family, or some other wider community.”
Dr Mosley explained that his son’s university dissertation looked into people who had successfully lost weight using an 800 calorie approach and found that the single most common reason people were successful was because they had a supportive spouse.
He added: “Everyone experiences ups and downs in life, and as long as you have support and someone you can turn to, then you’re much more likely to succeed.”
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“We know that fat and sugar later at night hangs around in your system for much longer because your body is just closed down for the night.
“I think the main thing is to try and restrict alcohol and caffeine late at night, because both are likely to keep you awake. People do use alcohol as a way of getting to sleep, but the reality is it will lead to fragmented sleep and you’ll wake up a lot more during the night, which is very clear.”
The expert recommends drinking a cup of camomile or ginger tea before sleeping.
When it comes to eating less food to lose weight, an important factor is eating enough protein.
This is because protein-rich foods keep you fuller for longer, reducing the need for snacking throughout the day.
Dr Mosley went on: “It’s really important to have a decent amount of protein, which is 50-70g a day. You can mainly get protein from meat or from fish, and you can also get it from legumes, but you have to eat rather more, which is why following the Fast 800 on a vegetarian diet is more challenging.
“We do have meal replacement shakes which are very rich in protein, and we’re also aiming to produce protein boosters, to help people who might otherwise struggle with it.
“The reason for protein is you need it for your muscle. You need it for all sorts of essential metabolic processes and also because when you consume it, it’s designed slower by your body so you don’t get the same sort of peaks.”
Intermittent fasting has been linked to weight loss for several years and can prove to be a sustainable way of losing weight.
This is because slimmers are still allowed to eat all their favourite foods, just within a time-restricted window.
Dr Mosley recommends starting slow for those wanting to try intermittent fasting.
He said: “If you’re planning to try intermittent fasting, I would normally recommend that you do it more gradually. So start by consuming your food in 12 hours, and fasting for the rest of the time, then move on to a 10-hour period of eating.
“One thing I would say is there is mounting evidence that it is better if you finish your evening meal earlier, rather than having a late meal, skipping breakfast, and then going to lunchtime.
“So however you do time restricted eating, I would recommend you try and stop eating by 8pm and then not eat anything again with calories before breakfast the next day. If you are fasting for 12 hours, you can have breakfast at 8am.”
